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Duke Law School mourns the passing of Stanley A. Star ’61, one of the most generous and influential benefactors in the Law School’s history. Over nearly five decades, Stanley's generosity and leadership helped shape Duke Law in profound and lasting ways. 

Stanley dedicated his career to co-founding and building Cliffstar Corporation, the nation's largest private-label juice company, in his hometown of Fredonia, New York. The relationships he built throughout his life were central to both his professional success and his enduring connection to Duke Law. As he stated as part of a Duke Forward campaign video, “[Duke Law] has been part of my family — people give to people. So, after 25 years you make a lot of friends, and it has been part of my life.”

Stanley made his first gift to Duke Law in 1978. What followed was a remarkable record of philanthropy that touched nearly every corner of the Law School and established a new standard of philanthropic commitment for the Duke Law community. Stanley and his wife, Elizabeth, were powerful champions of Duke Law. Among many other contributions, they established the Star Law Scholarship Fund and the Stanley A. Star Professorship of Law and Business. Their vision and support for a welcoming central gathering space for students, faculty, alumni and visitors came to fruition in 2008 with the dedication of Star Commons.

During the Duke Forward campaign (2010-2017), the Stars launched a series of innovative matching gift initiatives that encouraged fellow alumni and friends to invest in the school. Through the Star Professorship and Star Financial Aid Challenges, the Law School established five new endowed professorships and created or enhanced 41 scholarship endowments. In recognition of their extraordinary generosity, Duke Law established The Star Circle Giving Society in 2018 to honor donors whose lifetime giving exceeds $10 million.

As Dean Kerry Abrams observed, "Stanley and Elizabeth are catalysts for philanthropy at Duke Law who inspired a new generation of donors.” They gave "in the most selfless way — by adding to endowed scholarships and professorships that did not bear their names.”

Stanley's influence extended far beyond his financial support. A longtime member of the Duke Law Board of Visitors, he was a trusted advisor, advocate, and friend whose counsel and support were deeply valued by the Law School community. The Stars also hosted numerous Duke alumni and development events in Naples and New York, welcoming members of the Duke Law community with the same generosity and hospitality that characterized their philanthropy. Stanley once stated that “Some organizations, you just give to it — you never see the fruits of your donation. In this case, it’s not like that at all — you really see what’s going on, and you feel a part of it. What’s important is, it’s helping someone – and that’s what it’s about.” His greatest contribution may have been the example he set — showing how philanthropy could strengthen Duke Law while inspiring others to invest in its future.

The esteem Stanley earned throughout the Duke Law community was reflected in the creation of the Stanley and Elizabeth Star Rule of Law Fund at the Bolch Judicial Institute in 2025. Established by family, friends, and Duke Law leaders, the permanent endowment supports efforts to strengthen judicial independence and advance the rule of law.

Reflecting about Stanley’s incredible relationship with the school, former Dean David Levi stated that “It is not too much to say that Stan and Elizabeth Star’s philanthropy transformed Duke Law School. The most visible and tangible evidence of this is Star Commons itself, which magically unified what had been a gangly, spread-out building and gave to it a beating heart. Less obvious, but equally important, are the many scholarships and professorships that the Stars made possible through their matching gifts, and which bear the names of other donors. We were so blessed to have had his support and his vision and his deep respect for the mission of the Law School.”

Stanley will be remembered not only for the extraordinary generosity that transformed Duke Law, but also for the example he set. Through his vision, leadership, and enduring commitment to the Law School he loved, he expanded opportunities for students, strengthened the faculty, inspired countless others to give, and helped shape the Duke Law community for decades to come. His legacy will live on in the people, programs, and spaces he made possible — and in the generations of students and scholars whose lives will be changed because of his generosity.